What is on your wish list from Santa this year?
This would be a pretty amazing wish list, I am kind of a fan of my inner rebel and know I would like to meet others like me from around the world. Pleassseeee Santa! In all seriousness, I don't want a thing for Christmas. I don't want any presents, or a crazy busy schedule doing all the things with all the people. All I want for Christmas is to spend time with the people I love, sharing conversations, food and cocktails.
There is nothing else in the world having more meaning to me than this.
If you are scrambling out to find one last gift, or staying up until the wee hours of the morning to wrap gifts while baking one last item, it might be time to revisit what the holiday season means to you. I believe we should treat every day like it is a holiday. We should be kind, giving and loving every day of the year. We should be using the good towels, dinnerware and sheets every day of the year. We should be visiting family, believing in something and bursting with holiday spirit as much as possible throughout the year.
This is a small but significant time of the year. Let's do 1% better this year and carry on all the feels we have this week into more of new year.
Nosh Two. Weekly Conversation.
Today’s conversation is with Anita Davila, an RD2Be who has been on a different road to becoming a Registered Dietitian and has a passion for integrative nutrition.
Anita has such a unique story story on her journey to becoming a Registered Dietitian. She started out with many interests when she decided to go to college, landing on a nursing degree. While she was doing her prerequisites, she took a nutrition class and it was exactly what she has been looking for all along. Anita has put her family first along her journey and has found ways for her to stay active in the dietetics community through the DPG Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine. She is currently working on finding the perfect time to start her internship and pursue her RD credential.
Nosh Three. Weekly #Hellyeah!
In the last few weeks, I have been enjoying little touches of the holidays all around me. All of them surround my people and food, shocker! I appreciate how the giving spirit is strong during this time of year and I get a little bug of it myself. Mostly by giving of food. I don't go crazy but I do like to share a little something sweet and delicious with friends and family.
We had Mrs. Claus visit the store a couple times this month and she ready stories while the kiddos had hot chocolate and cookies. Mrs. Claus also had a special elf come help with story time and she helped hand out my holiday treats, delicious apples from Stemilt.
We also squeezed in our work holiday party for the Fleur Drive Hy-Vee. Jason and I decided to spice things up this year and wore holiday sweaters. Have you ever worn a holiday sweater to your holiday party? I loved my because my little gingerbread man lights up. I am looking forward to wearing it this week while I am in the store doing various food experiences and helping customers.
Is there one holiday-ish type of food you look forward to around this time of year? I have to have a hot chocolate and besides making my own, I love Caribous. My friend Bonnie made me the best hot chocolate this year: whole milk, dark, milk and white chocolate and a couple pumps of mint syrup. It was the PERFECT hot chocolate. I also couldn't resist getting a little something for a friend and put it in these adorable bags our friend Tonette hand decorates for Caribou in my store.
I also was lucky enough to find time to spend the afternoon with Stacey and Laura, to catch up and make cookies. Well Laura and Stacey baked goodies, I supervised. Laura was baking a cooking for her Dad, these Rum Raisin cookies. This was quite the process but they turned out beautiful. It was the first time I have heard anything about these cookies. Have you? First they had to make the dough, refrigerate it for about an hour, make the raisin mixture, roll out the dough - which we learned not to press the rolling pin done hard on dough because it will crack at the edges and we should be letting the rolling pin do all the work - then cut out the cookie and cut out a second cookie to go on top. I hope her Dad loves them. Stacey so kindly sent me home with a plate of goodies, which I put in the freezer to eat this week. Yay!
This past week and this week, I am having a blast in the store sharing some of my favorite recipes for the holidays. One of my favorites was this peppermint bark from Hy-Vee. It is so easy to make and it looks festive and fancy. Not to mention it is sooooo delicious. I did cheat a little bit and purchased Brach's crushed candy canes which was an even bigger time saver.
Peppermint Bark from Hy-Vee
Description
Servings and Ingredients
Ingredients
| Quantity | Ingredient | Add |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | (10-oz. each) bags 60% dark chocolate chips | |
| 2 | (11-oz. each) bags white chocolate chips | |
| 8 | candy canes, crushed |
Directions
1. Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Place chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 1-1/2-to-2 minutes or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Pour onto prepared pan, spreading about 1/2-inch-thick.
3. Place white chocolate chips in another microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered on HIGH 1-1/2-to-2 minutes or until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Pour white chocolate over dark chocolate, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Refrigerate candy about 30 minutes or until firm. Carefully break candy into pieces.
Last year, my Mom and I purchased new candles in memory of my sweet sister for the Advent Wreath for my hometown parish, St. Mary's in Panama. Kate loved Christmas. I still remember how excited she would get during this time of year. She was always the one waking me up early in the morning on Christmas Day so we could both see if Santa came and she would never do it without me. I remember going downstairs with her and we would sit in front of the tree for hours ooooing and ahhhhing over all the wonderful gifts Santa brought us. Then we would go back to bed for a few hours, sometimes snuggling together in her bed. My sweet Kate. Now each Christmas season, everyone will sharing in the memory of her love for the holiday season.
After Mom and I went to check out the Advent wreathe this week, I had to check out the poinsettias. I love these plants, especially the red ones. They are such a beautiful plant and so is the legend behind it. These beauties will be put out in our church on Christmas Eve.
Nosh Four. Weekly Soundtrack.
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| Happy Holiday Soundtrack on Apple Music and Spotify. |
Nosh Five. What I Love Right Now.
I have had a little obsession since by visit to Oklahoma this past October. My auntie Carol made these amazing sweet and spicy pecans and when I was deciding on treats to make, this one hit the top of the list. I also can buy pecans in bulk, which decreases waste and is much more cost effective. I did change my recipe up a little but still got a great product. I used Swerve Granular Sweetener, which is erythritol and has little blood sugar impact (so great for people with diabetes) and is easily tolerated by people with GI issues. The best part is I get to use the nutrient packed egg to make these. In this recipe, I use the egg white, which is full of protein, adds around 10 grams to the recipe and makes this a healthier snack to eat. Give as gifts in a glass jar with your favorite color of bow.
Sweet and Spicy Pecans
2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar (any type you like, I used Swerve Granulated)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups raw pecans
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Place parchment paper in the bottom of a sheet pan
3. Whisk egg whites in a bowl until slightly frothy
4. Add sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, vanilla and salt. Mix well with eggs.
5. Blend in pecans and coat well with the mixture.
6. Place on parchment paper lined pan and cook for 60-90 minutes, turning every 15-20 minutes. Make sure to keep watch that you do not burn the pecans.
7. Cool on a new piece of parchment paper.
I hope you enjoy the holidays with your heartbeats this week!
~AE
*All views and opinions on products, food and businesses in this blog post are my own and are not sponsored in any way. I just love to share great things!
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